Happy Mother's Day
by milmil1197
Summary: Arnold gives his mom a thoughtful but emotional gift for Mother's Day
1. Chapter 1

Hello, I just wanted to write a little something for Mother's Day. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!

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Arnold P. Shortman looked down at the box in his hands. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. Maybe because this box contained many emotional, heartfelt messages from a little boy who always had hope that they would come back, and he would be able to give to them. He had somewhat lost that hope for a while though as he grew a bit older, and the letters and messages grew a bit sadder. He had two boxes, one for his mom and one for his dad. The one he held in his hands in particular was going to soon belong to his mother. A series of notes and things he'd made for her and collected over the years he thought maybe she'd like, and that he could give to her if she ever returned. Things from his childhood he explained to her about in a letter attached to each item.

The first was when he was in preschool, nothing spectacular. Just a colorfully painted puzzle piece frame, glued to a piece of pink construction paper, with a drawn picture of Arnold himself, and his mother.

The second was from when he was in Kindergarten, this time a handcrafted card, that certainly looked as a card made by a kindergartener should; scribbles and random little drawings. One drawing in particular stuck out; a drawing of an airplane. There was also a small note written inside the card that simply read in scribbly, sloppy handwriting,

"Dear mommy. I miss you, love Arnold, on mother's day.

1st grade was another card, more drawings included, and it read,

"Dear mommy, I miss you a lot. Grandpa tells me stories about you and daddy and how you used to take good care of me. Thank you for taking care of me. Happy mother's day.

2nd grade was just another picture of him and his parents, although this time a little cleaner. Arnold always had an artistic ability, much like his father. He never really knew where he got the talent until he found his father's journal. But with the picture, was a note that read,

"I had a dream about you and daddy, mommy. You always disappear in my dreams. You go away, I tell you to come back, and then I wake up. I wish I could really hug you, just like I do in my dreams. Happy mother's day mommy.

3rd grade was a hard mother's day. He reminisced back to the day he wrote this note in particular. He was having a hard time with not having parents, and some kids had said some pretty mean things to him about not having parents. He recognized the tear stains on the paper, from the tears he had been shedding as he wrote the note. It read,

"Dear mom, I can't believe it's been six years since you've left. I just want to say that I miss you and I really wish I could know what happened to you. Grandma and grandpa are great. I love them, and grandma's having a great day. I helped grandpa make her breakfast in bed, and we did some dancing. But I wish you were here, so I could celebrate with you too. Happy Mothers Day mom, wherever you are. I still love you and I will never forget you. Love, Arnold."

4th grade was about the same. Another note, telling his mother just how much he missed her and wished he could celebrate her special day with her, give her the notes, cards and letters he'd written for her. This was certainly a coping mechanism for the young boy, and he found that doing this every year, was healing, but the hole in his heart was still there, and always would be, until he found them.

5th grade was a little easier, since he found his father's journal back in October. The map gave him some hope that maybe he would find them someday. The note he wrote to his mother explained his findings and how excited he was to find such a treasure, or as his grandpa would call it, a "family relic." Of course he also wished her a happy mother's day, as usual. He noticed that his handwriting was neat and precise, much nicer looking than his earlier work.

6th grade, he actually had his parents back, and the latest letter read,

"Dear mom, finding you that day last year in San Lorenzo was the happiest day of my life. I lost hope at one point, thinking i'd never find you, but I did and not even words can express how grateful I am to have you back in my life. You've already done some pretty amazing things for me, even if you've only been home for eleven months. I know you will continue to be a great mother. In this box I have given you, are all the letters, notes and random things I've written and saved for you, for when you returned. Mother's day seemed like the best day to do so, to give you something from me you can cherish forever. Cards from mother's day you haven't been able to receive over the years, and a few extra things I wanted you to have. I love you, so, so much. Love, your son, Arnold."

There were other various notes and letters incorporated in the mix as well. Ones explaining his accomplishments, or what he did on a particular day. Arnold still couldn't believe he was actually able to physically hand it all over to his mother now. She would read them, and get to catch up on all missed mother's days, and other parts in his life he figured she would like to know about.

Arnold took a deep breath, then exhaled as he slowly rose to his feet, gripping the box in his hands. He knew this was going to be emotional, not just for his mother, but also him, and even his father. He made his way downstairs, the box in hand, and entered the kitchen where his mother, Stella, sat at the table, drinking her morning cup of tea, his father, Miles, sitting beside her. "Hey, mom, I...have something for you."

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To be continued...

How do you like it so far? I had so much trouble thinking about what Arnold would say in each of his letters or whatever he had made for his mom with each year that passed. I was trying to think of a plot, then thought, what if every year, he made something not only for his grandma on Mother's day, but also his mom, and vise versa for Father's day. So over the years, he collected notes and letters he had written, and other various things he thought his parents would like, saving them for a special time like this, to give to them if they ever returned. I really hope it's in character and flows well. Anyways, thanks for reading. Next chapter will be up soon :)


	2. Chapter 2

I'm back! I had a bit of writers block. First, I want to say thank you for the reviews and feedback. I was super nervous about posting this, but those of you who favorited, commented and followed gave me a little more confidence in myself as a writer. It means the world to me. This chapter may be a bit of a tear jerker. Just a fair warning, now, on with the story ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!

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Miles and Stella turned to their son and their eyes widened slightly when they saw the box in his hands, wondering just what it could be. The boy approached them, holding the box out to his mother. "What's this?" Stella asked with a smirk. "It's a mother's day present. You have to open it to see what it is." Arnold chuckled and Stella gladly took the box from him and slowly opened it. Her eyes widened slightly when she found the card sitting on top, stating, "Happy Mother's Day." She grabbed the card then opened it, and found the note tucked inside. Arnold watched in anticipation as she unfolded the paper and Stella's smile faltered slightly as she got further through the letter. She looked up at her son with teary eyes, but she was beaming at him.

"Awe honey." Her voice cracked as tears began to stream down her face, and before Arnold could say or do anything, he was engulfed into a tight embrace. He smiled as he wrapped his arms, tightly around his mother, not wanting to let go. Tears filled his own eyes. He was actually able to hug her, his wish really did come true. He had his parents back and it was still hard to believe, but this felt real, and it truly was real. "Oh my baby." Stella kissed his head, brushing her tears out of his hair. Miles watched with tears in his own eyes, but a wide smile on his face. It was a beautiful moment. The two pulled away for a moment, and looked at each other, their faces wet and eyes still teary. "H-Happy...M-Mothers...day...m-mom..." Arnold hitched, barely able to speak. This was the first time he ever got to say those words, directly to his mother, and it felt somewhat foreign on his tongue, but it was also a really good, happy feeling. He threw himself back against his mother and clung to her, sobbing, while Stella did the same. She cradled him, not wanting to let him go. "I love you so much." She sniffed as they pulled away again and they continued to look at each other, warmly. "You actually made a card every year for me?" Arnold nodded, then swallowed before responding, "I-It was kind of how I c-coped with...you know...you and dad being gone..." A pang of guilt shot through Stella's chest at the thought that they were absent for nine, almost ten years of his life. "Oh honey," She squeezed his cheek. "I'm so sorry." "No, it's okay. I had hope that someday you'd return." "Well, this is the best mother's day gift, ever, thank you so much sweetheart." Arnold beamed at his mother. "So, who's up for chocolate chip pancakes?" Miles asked as he stood up. Stella and Arnold chuckled as they turned towards the man, Stella smirked at her husband. "Sure hon, pancakes sound great!" "You sit back and relax mom, i'll help dad!" Arnold said excitedly, and Stella beamed at her boy. He may have been eleven, almost twelve years old, but he still looked like a little innocent child, the baby she left behind nine years ago at times, while other times he looked like a mature, young man. It was pretty surreal.

So Stella followed her son's demands and sat back, watching her boys make breakfast. Her life was perfect, and she wouldn't change it any other way, unless she somehow was able to go back in time, and make up for all the time she lost with her son. But seeing as time travel was impossible, her life now was certainly perfect in her opinion. And she would have many more Mother's Day's to come, and she was finally able to be the mother she always longed to be, for her precious baby boy.

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The End!

So, what'd you think? Sorry it's a lot shorter than the last chapter. I was mostly just going for Stella's reaction because I really don't know what else to write for this. Maybe I'll do a one shot of Stella reading all the letters. I decided it'd probably be best if she saved reading all of it later on. I really hope you enjoyed this story. Thanks for reading!


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